Learn Foreign Languages

What is the dream of any student who loves adventure? An enormously popular answer to this question is to travel the world. This dream is made much more enjoyable if you can meet friends along the way – something which, in turn, is made a lot easier if you can successfully communicate in their language. For making this come true, the best option is to learn a language abroad – a choice which combines all aspects of the dream! Once you have chosen the language you would like to learn – from languages such as German, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, Russian – the next step is to discover one of the country’s beautiful cities. From there, you discover the country´s people, food, traditions…this is the experience which will improve your language skills and give you the best opportunities for studying – be it for an academic year abroad, to get a dream job in a particular country or just to improve your resume or CV.

Don’t miss this great experience of learning languages abroad - think about all the students you will meet in The Language School, not only in the classes but also during your coffee break, in your student flat and when you go out.

University cities with lots of students are perfect for young people wanting to learn languages – cities such as Manchester for learning English (which is a buzzing student city) or Berlin (where you’ll find many students doing a sprachaufentalt there due to its excellent reputation for Schueler- & Studenten-Sprachreisen) for learning German are both immensely popular destinations for those taking time out to learn a language. But as well as looking for the biggest university cities, be sure to look at the location too – whilst Durham is considered a large and famous university in the UK, the life there is relatively quiet an subdued whilst student life in Manchester would be considered as much more lively – and so much more to do outside of your language classes! Similarly, should you come to Spain to learn the language, you’d have a fantastic and memorable time in both Samalanca and Valencia – two universities and two cities thriving with life. However, for those who love sports, Valencia would be ideal (the beaches there promote a great array of water sports) whilst those who enjoy culture and a more relaxed life would feel very much at home in Salamanca. It’s a big decision and so do your research: perhaps you could go to one of the hoteles Valencia for a weekend and see how you fit in; when you finally decide where to spend your language learning experience, having been there before, you’ll be assured you are making the right choice.

The cities offering Language Schools abroad are multicultural cities and you will hear a wide range of languages whilst walking through their streets. Ask friends that have been to other countries and they will tell you how this experience helps you to gain independence and reach both personal and professional goals. Whilst a personal goal could be more independence or greater awareness of cultures and a professional goal could be a transfer to your company’s international department, language learning can take you there!

Think carefully about the type of destination you’d like to go to. Busy or quiet? Countryside or near the sea? Compare it with destinations you already know where have language schools and you are likely to find similar abroad, just by doing a little research. For example, rather than cursos de inglés en Inglaterra, many Spanish students go to Ireland for curso ingles Dublin or London for cursos de ingles en Londres so if you know this city and like it, why not ask the Spanish residents for a version of Dublin in Spain – Madrid for example. Or if it’s Italian courses in Italy which appeal then look into the city life there; Rome, Florence, Venice or Milan, there’s plenty to choose from! This way, you are assured of comfort in your destination.

Bear in mind that as well as the destination, it is important to consider your company too. Perhaps you are the independent type and would prefer to go alone thus giving yourself every opportunity to meet local people and communicate in your target language. You’ll see your language skills increase greatly. Like in Britain where many families do teach homestay English, there are many families abroad willing to take in foreign students and to encourage and coax them into using the language as much as possible – a great encouragement! However, don’t fret should going abroad alone make you nervous. With so much to see throughout the world, it won’t be hard to convince a friend or two to join you on your language learning experience – you can practise new vocabulary together and comfort each other should you get a little homesick. If you are in school or college, why not organise a trip for the whole class? This can be really beneficial and is often a great way to fire enthusiasm for a learning a language should the classes be become a little routine. The language teacher should have plenty of contacts within the country to rely upon but - with permission from the head, of course - why not organise a language learning trip yourself? It could be to see a special event in the country or to coincide with a special school date (half term, Teacher Appreciation Day 2008, end of exam period, etc). Your teacher really would be very grateful for your pro-activeness and you’d demonstrate capabilities as a leader (something which, if it hasn’t already, will come in useful later in life!). No matter who you take your trip with, always be considerate and patient with the person; be it a new classmate or a childhood friend, you’ll be spending a lot of time together in new circumstances and so adaptability is a must for you ensure you’re making the most of your time abroad.

Let’s motivate ourselves to learn languages! Don’t forget that in general we are far behind other countries in terms of people who speak more than the one language – in European schools it is normal to start learning English as a foreign language at 10 years old whilst in England, students are not exposed to a second language until at least 15! Holland is one of the leading countries with regard to language learning – students even have to take non-English subjects in English! Germany is another country far out-doing the native English speakers – many students are opting to take TOEFL and other Sprachzertifikate or Sprachdiploma and so go into the working world with not only professional experience and a good education, but speaking another language too.

Be it Italian schools or Spanish language schools, let us recommend some of the best Language Schools whilst you start planning your dream to a learn language abroad in your country of choice. Whilst the Italian language schools in Florence are immensely popular, like the Spanish courses in Spain ’s Malaga, don’t forget to do the research to see what best suits you! There’s plenty of schools to choose from and sites like this make a great place to start from!

Recommended Language schools abroad

If you haven't yet decided which language you want to learn, this site offers you a wide selection of Language Schools throughout the world.